Lutron Electronics introduced a new spin on its Caséta smart lighting product line last fall with the Diva smart dimmer, a paddle design with a slider on the right-hand side for dimming and brightening a connected load. Today, the company introduces a new remote control that echoes that design aesthetic.
The Pico Paddle remote looks and feels like a classic paddle switch, and it can control any of the 15 other products in the Caséta family, including Lutron’s Diva smart dimmer, Claro smart switch, lamp dimmer smart plug, and its outdoor smart plug.
The news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart switches and dimmers.
The battery-powered wireless remote can be operated in your hand, on an optional tabletop pedestal, or attached to a wall like a traditional switch using the same mounting hardware as the original Pico remote. That last feature is especially attractive when you’re mounting it to a wall you don’t want to drill or cut into (e.g., brick, tile, mirror, etc).
Lutron
Having a wall-mounted remote control for an outdoor smart plug, for instance, offers great deal of convenience, since you’d otherwise need to pull out your phone and launch the Caséta app to turn the plug on and off.
Lutron also points out that the remote can bring 3-way flexibility to any existing lights that are already controlled by a Caséta smart switch or dimmer, providing a second point of control to up to 10 dimmers without the need to cut holes or make any wiring connections.
Unlike the original Pico remote, which defaults to setting a connected light to 100 percent brightness, a single tap of the Pico Paddle remote will bring the controlled light to the brightness level that the slider on the in-wall dimmer is set to.
Lutron’s Caséta family is our favorite smart lighting product line, and it’s compatible with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, and Apple’s HomeKit ecosystems. Caséta devices can also be integrated with smart home products from Ring, Samsung SmartThings, and Sonos; smart thermostats from Carrier Ecobee, and Honeywell Home; Hunter ceiling fans; and Lutron’s own Serena brand smart shades. This broad compatibility practically makes current incompatibility with the Matter smart home standard a footnote.
The new Pico Paddle remote is available now by itself or in four SKUs that bundle the remote with other Caséta lighting products.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the smart home, home audio, and home theater. He built his own smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world test lab for product reviews. Following a relocation to the Pacific Northwest, he is now converting his new home, an 1890 Victorian bungalow, into a modern smart home.